Where Spirits Walk
by Fox of the Last Temple
Summary: The Natsume clan rose to power in the world of spirits and exorcist just as quickly as it fell. In the seeming blink of an eye. Attacked because of their success, there remains only one Natsume to answer the question of how and where did the power that stunned the exorcist nation come from. The exorcist just have to find him first.
1. Chapter 1

There is a heart wrenching sound in the smoke filled air, congesting his head will pain and sorrow and it is all he can do to keep moving through the rubble, to ignore the wild, faint, sobbing of a far off spirit. It has to be one of the spirits, all the humans are dead. The wailing stops and he is alone in a silent world of heat and pain and smoke and there is blood, oh so much blood. Rubble shifts and sensei is there, white fur stained red, the place at his side where his grandmother usually stands is empty.

'That's right,' he thinks with hazy thoughts and dimming vision, 'she was with the others...' his world fades into black.

* * *

"You stupid creature! Snap out of it!" Madara snarls at an unnamed youkai, one of the servants of a clan member from over the sea. The sniveling creature, in the form of a crane, looks up at him in relief and stops it wailing. 'Good,' he thinks, 'at least they will still listen to my orders'.

"ASSEMBLE!' He rars to the red, fire-lit sky, ignoring the injuries down his side where an attacker had aimed to hit Reiko. The call is like a beacon of hope to all spirits in the area. Their masters and mistresses are dead, they know. The bonds that bind them and label them with the scorned title of skikki are gone; but many were also bond to the clan of Natsume, not just specific humans. Until the last Natsume died, they would be tied to that human as servants. He does not know who of the Natsume clan still lives, but there is only one rabidly fading presence he recognizes as he searches for a survivor. Youkai that have heard his call are moving toward him, seeing him as a figure of authority.

"Where is Reiko-dono? Reiko-dono?" they call to him, looking for the woman who was the creator and head of the clan, their jailer and their queen. He snorts at their pitiful cries. They had nothing to worry about, the Book of Friends with all its names and contracts was hidden in the main Kyoto temple, far away from the flames eating at the supports of the main house.

"Move all still- bound youkai to the southern house, I'll meet you there! Hinoe, Mizu, Kagura! You're in charge!" He bounds to the fading presence of the nearest human, leaving the horde of youkai who now move with purpose, behind him. The rubble of the once majestic Clan mansion digs into his paws but he has to find him. Slipping around what resembled the splintered support beam of the northern wing, he sees who is left, and cannot help but wonder if it isn't best if Takashi dies here. There is rubble for miles around and bodies flung to the farthest reaches of the property and the only survivor is this little six year old boy who has followed him around the mansion since he could walk, watching his every move with wide wonder-filled silver eyes. He knows that Reiko had planned, out of the hundreds of members of the Natsume clan, to make this one little battered human her heir anyway and does nothing to muffle the snort of irony at the situation. Takashi isn't moving anymore, just lying still in a pool of blood, and he thinks his wish, made in the emotions of the moment, has come true. Madara jumps down to stand over the body of the boy who had just lost everything in one horrendous blow and is relieved to hear the faint heart beat and shallow breathing. He only has time to let out a relieved sigh before a bird youkai raises the alarm, signaling that humans are coming.

'Probably to finish the job,' Madara snarls in rage, his lips pull back over his teeth and he bellows his challenge to the reddening sky. Before, it was red with fire and blood and screams and now there is only fire and blood and silence and the coming of the sun to mark a new day. At his bellow, there is shouting from the arriving exorcist.

"Madara-sama!" There is a cry from a crow youkai above, one of the many that live in the forest around the mansion. They, too, were bound to Reiko through contract so they had sensed her passing and the shift to a new master. He looks up and unknowingly scars some of them for life. Right then, crouched over the body of who they know is the last living Natsume, bathed in the light of the fire and the rising sun, snarling with rage and with a murderous glint in his eye that promised death for whoever crossed his path, the crows, who were only old enough to hear the stories of Madara's wartime past, could fully believe that the tame-looking beast that sat by Lady Reiko's side was a monster in his own right. "Madara-sama!" The oldest lands and bows respectfully, keeping his weapons lowered and struggling not to make any sudden moves in the presence of the youkai that was running on instinct. "There are Matoba shikki in the forest closing in fast! The other crows said the other exorcists clans don't know what is going on and the Japanese Exorcist council is in a uproar. All the humans know is that one minute the Natsume clan was here, the next minute all contact was cut and there was a huge explosion of bad energy. What are your orders Madara-sama?" As the report progresses, the sound of approaching exorcist grows in volume. The beast youkai tilts his head up and scanns the surroundings.

"Hmph," he grumbles, his temper under control and his mind analyzing every possibility , "Spread the word to everyone to relocate to the southern clan house. There is to be no retaliation, it could only worsen the condition. Tell Hinoe I said to get a hold of the man who controls all Natsume assets and properties and activate the freeze period until I say so."

"Hai, Madara-sama… where-" the crow is cut off as Madara lowers his head and lifts the child off the ground in one smooth motion. It is disconcerting for the crow and his companions to see the jaws that were ready to rip them to shreds moments ago cradling the boy so carefully. He gives the crows one final glance before lunging into the air, running across the currents of the wind and away from what was once the home of the hundreds of people and thousands of youkai of the Natsume clan, now scattered in pieces across the land.

END OF CHAPTER ONE!


	2. Chapter 2

To all of you who reviewed over the time between the first chapter and this one, thank you so very much! Every one of your reviews helped me get over my writer's block. I'm actually working on several stories at this time, one of which i will upload soon. Thankyou so much for your patience!

Special shout out to: guest, Sony Boy, Aichi-Sendou, Yuukilover, Liquid Twilight, unknown chibi, itachisgurl93, Sarah, caitycaterpillar for being the first group to review!

* * *

It is the lone drone of conversations filling up the background that make him aware that he is somewhere familiar. The soft fabric of a futon presses up against the side of his face as he opens his eyes to see the screens that make up the bedroom he is in.

"It's about time brat, I was starting to think you were never going to wake up."

Natsume Takashi looks up into the familiar eyes, tears already falling from his mortal ones, streaking his human skin.

"Sensei?"

The beast youkai lowers his head to nuzzle the child.

"I'm here, Takashi. I'm here."

* * *

Touko Fujiwara watched several of the little spirits run around the garden in an attempt to help her collect tonight's supper, trying to muffle her laughter at their antics. Things around the house had definitely changed since she had answered the door several weeks ago. The woman, Hinoe, had appeared out of nowhere on her doorstep, bringing news of the accident. Now there were little youkai, or spirits, that she had only seen rarely and vaguely running around her home. The Natsume Clan youkai that were in the area respected their privacy enough to stay out of parts of the house but both she and Shigeru had come into the kitchen or the yard at times to find several gathered around the table or fridge or playing a game in the grass.

At first they had been worried about the rapid increase in youkai because while they occasionally saw a few youkai around town or on the old roads, there had never been so many before and youkai attracted exorcist. But the town was a no man's land in Spiritual Japan that was one of the many that acted like the buffer between controlling youkai or exorcist territories. With the increase in numbers the air seemed lighter and the little town a little friendlier, the flowers seemed to bloom a little brighter and the leaves greener. Several superstitious locals who knew Fujiwara Shigeru had married a woman with a distant relation to an Exorcist clan came for a visit, remarking upon the changes of the town and the new red wooden gate that encircled the large property protectively. 'It's a gift from my in-laws' Shigeru had explained and whatever secret thoughts the locals had about the connection between the changes in the Fujiwara household and the table scraps and offerings at local shrines disappearing before their eyes, dying trees gaining new life, homes repainted overnight with beautiful colors, old wooden floors straightening and unwarping or lost items found laid out on the front path in the mornings, they kept to themselves. Not everyone in town seemed to believe in the spirits though. Several of the younger families that were not around when the temple was open and the festivals were actual needed rituals to local deities did not take the locals' words of respect to heart. 'It's just your imagination,' they argued. 'The spring air give you ideas.' Of course no one but her an Shigeru could actually see the spirits, a wedding gift from her distant relations.

"They are often violent when they move to the forest and the wilds but the ones that live around humans can help you in your daily lives if you let them. You won't be able to see the big,powerful ones without permission but the minor ones will be visible. Those are often harmless enough and they often miss people who believe in them, who need them." he had said before blessing the house with the Natsume seal, a mark that allowed her and Shigeru the coveted _sight_ of the exorcist. She and Shigeru had never actually met a Natsume exorcist since, although they were members of a branch house and received news like such.

"Politics are a troublesome thing. It was meant to be a backup plan of Riko-sama's in case the main branch or the main family came under attack. The branch members and families who were allowed to integrate into 'normal' society would act not only as financial support but as a much-needed hidden network of information and hidey holes. Often when a clan announces itself as an exorcist clan they cut all ties to the human world to some extent. Rieko knew this when she got the idea to gather drifters who could see like her and ban them together in one family. She kept the branch families aware, informed and loyal. It was one of her greatest achievements," Hinoe had explained over a cup of tea during one of the nights she had stayed as their guest. They had sat out on the back patio, the couple knowing the youkai woman would appreciate being outside. The summer night had been warm, but discussing the lost clan members and the lonely child Touko had felt a cold sadness clench her heart.

Now they were just waiting. Her and Shigeru and the youkai, both clan and local. Waiting for the little child that she had promised to take care of. They weren't the first choice by any means but the other smaller branch families that were considered ideal sizes in ideal locations could all either not afford or did not have room for another child.

'Such a shame,' Touko thought as she helped several of the little youkai pull up a carrot, 'That such a sweet sounding child has to go through so much sadness and pain.'

Yes, now everyone was just waiting for the Natsume heir apparent, the littlest orphan of Reiko's family.


End file.
